"She can have Lays brand chips and Skittles"....the words of wisdom from Emma's Nutritionist when she was diagnosed 6 years ago. Time has been good to those with Celiac in the information and knowledge area....thankfully! :)

The good thing is you don't have to 2nd mortgage your home or sell your 1st born child to afford gluten free food. Thankfully several grocery store brands have gotten on board, which has also drove the specialty food pricing down. This blog post is 2-fold. First I will give you several examples of some of our favorite store brand products we have found over the years. ​Second part will be some of our favorite national chain restaurants with links to their gluten free menus.

BREAKFAST

Bisquick Pancake Mix

Chex & Cheerios Cereals

Jessica's Granola

Van's Waffles

O'Doughs Bagel Thins

BREADS

Canyon Bakehouse Breads

Mybread Flatbread Pita

Rudi's Tortillas

CUPBOARD STABLES

Bob's Red Mill Baking Flour

Justin's Almond & Hazelnut Butter

Pacific Organic Chicken Stock

Ian's Breadcrumbs

San-J Soy Sauce

FREEZER | FRIDGE

Amy's Burritos

Conte's Frozen Pasta

Cooked Perfect Meatballs

Perdue Chicken Tenders

Sabra Hummus

Wholly Guacamole

PIZZA AND PASTA

Against the Grain Gourmet Pizza

Freschetta Pizza

Trader Joe's Brown Rice Pasta

Trader Joe's Black Bean Pasta

Annie's Mac & Cheese

Barilla, Mueller's, Ronzoni GF Pastas

BARS | SNACKS

BoBo's Bites & Bars

Luna Bars

KIND Bars

Boom Chicka Pop Popcorn

Eat Your Vegetables Chips

Crunchmaster Crackers

Food Should Taste Good Crackers & Chips

Glutino Table Crackers

Harvest Snaps Snapea Crisps

Snyder's of Hanover Pretzels

Sensible Portions Garden Veggie Straws

On The Border Tortilla Chips

On The Border Salsa

Desserts

Trader Joe's GF Chocolate Cupcakes

Lucy's Cookies

Namaste Foods Brownie Mix

Namaste Foods Spice Cake Mix

Kinnikinnick Donuts

Udi's Muffin Tops

SO Delicious Frozen Cashew Milk Snickerdoodle

RESTAURANTS

Below are some of our favorite restaurants and their gluten free menus. I highly recommend downloading the App "Find Me Gluten Free" to find restaurants in a location near you.

DOWNLOAD Find Me GLUTEN FREE APP

Thought I'd start from the beginning of our journey swimming with Emma for my 1st of many blog topics. On February 14, 2011 Emma was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Celiac Disease is a serious genetic autoimmune disorder. When a person with Celiac ingests gluten (protein found in wheat, rye, barley...and some oats) the gluten attacks and destroys their small intestine. So no, unfortunately for Emma a gf diet is not a fad or a trendy diet or lifestyle...it's a necessity. Many people choose a gf diet for many health reasons, not just those who have been Celiac diagnosed with confirmation of blood test, scope, and biopsy of small intestine. It's proven very beneficial to help with everything from gluten intolerance, Autism, ADD/ADHD, depression, to acne.

So if you or your child has been diagnosed with Celiac, or your doctor told you to eliminate gluten...now what?!? As overwhelming as it may seem right now, I promise it gets easier. But for today, cry...scream...whine...and morn the loss of gluten in your life. Then put on your big girl panties because you have a lot of work to do. Obviously it would take me forever to blog everything I've learned. Part 1 of this blog with be some helpful tips and resources for getting started. Part 2 will be some of our favorite foods, gf brands, and restaurants. Please feel free to contact me with any questions. Click on the Contact Link above.

THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO CELIAC DISEASE CENTER Has a website full of amazing resources and information. If you or your child has been diagnosed within the past 12 months they will mail you a care package full of product samples, coupons, and more. Just click on the Program link on their website. http://www.cureceliacdisease.org/

CELIAC DISEASE FOUNDATIONAnother website packed full of helpful information and resources. Recipes, reading labels, what you can eat and what you cannot. They even a printable gf candy list. https://celiac.org/

MEDICINES AND VITAMINSHaving a child living with chronic illness and in chronic pain this has been one category I've had to double check labels before buying. I also suggest having your Pharmacist flag your account for prescription medications. I have found many vitamins contain wheat so be careful. Here's an excellent website that I've used to look up medications. www.glutenfreedrugs.com

GF MANUFACTURE RESOURCE DIRECTORYSo many of our everyday brands carry gluten free alternatives. GF products can be expensive, such a relief that some of favorite brands now have gluten free products. www.glutenfreeresourcedirectory.com

COSMETICS Yes, unfortunately gluten is in many things including lotions, soaps, toothpaste, and makeup. Here's a website with tips and product information. www.glutenfreemakeupgal.com

GF RESTAURANTSJust because you have Celiac it doesn't mean you have to give up going out to eat. It just means you have to be more careful. Just because a restaurant has a gluten free menu doesn't mean that the staff has a clue to what Celiac Disease is. Cross contamination is a big deal to Celiacs. I had a server years ago when Emma was diagnosed with Celiac ask if we could just remove and not eat the bun for her gf hamburger...ahhhh.....NO!! So from that moment on, I always just say she has a severe food allergy. People get allergy, not good for business if they think because of their handling a child could leave their restaurant in an ambulance. She wouldn't need an ambulance, of course...but what they don't know won't hurt them... but it will hurt her. This is a great site, especially if you're traveling. Best of all they have a free app. I have it on my iPhone and use it a lot when we've traveled out of state for doctor appointments. www.findmeglutenfree.com

Why a jellyfish? My daughter Emma has been finding her inner jellyfish for several years. She uses this analogy to explain her life's journey and gains strength from its inner meaning to her. Basically Emma explains that a jellyfish is an amazing creature. Beautiful and graceful on the outside a jellyfish appears to swim through life without a care in the world. Although, when a jellyfish is threatened in anyway it has an amazing ability to adapt and inner strength to protect itself.

Check back often for updates on Emma, special blog posts, and soon to be launched store. :)

Emma's Journey

Welcome to my daughter Emma's medical journey blog. Read updates on Emma and helpful tips for researching and coping with a child with an unspecified, rare genetic disease living in chronic pain. Click on the ABOUT tab to see how her journey started.